


I come with knives (to love you)

by Neleothesze



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ardyn Izunia Redemption, Bahamut Gets What He Fucking Deserves, Canon up to ME 735 - one year after the first attack on Insomnia, Don't copy to another site, Drabble Sequence, Episode Ardyn Spoilers, F/M, Good Ardyn Izunia, Happy Ending, Morally Grey Ardyn Izunia, POV Aera Mirus Fleuret, POV Alternating, POV Ardyn Izunia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 7,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24982765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neleothesze/pseuds/Neleothesze
Summary: “Tormented by the illusion of his beloved, Ardyn ultimately accepted his role in Bahamut’s Prophecy. Instead, less than a year after the attack on Insomnia, fearing for his newborn son's life, it was young King Regis who faltered.‘He wants an accord with Adagium?’Bahamut thundered ‘The gall!’ [...]On the astral plane, Aera was forced to kneel before the Draconian while he decreed her new destiny.She was to somehow subdue the Chancellor of Niflheim, her former fiancé, whom Bahamut had once chosen as the King of Light but now proclaimed anathema.”Ardyn and Aera's well-deserved happily ever after (with a side of revenge on the gods) written in a series of 75 interconnected drabbles.
Relationships: Aera Mirus Fleuret/Ardyn Izunia
Comments: 22
Kudos: 52





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> On the backdrop of this 2020 pandemic with its myriad life changes, my third Final Fantasy XV playthrough is hitting me hard. Tragedy everywhere! Well, my drugs of choice are ‘Happy Ending’s & ‘Happily Ever After’s. After Uchiha Obito of Naruto fame and PIDW!Luò Bīnghé from SVSSS, I’m giving Ardyn his own happy end with the woman he loved.

All warfare was within the Bladekeeper’s purview, irrespective of human morality. Tormented by the illusion of his beloved, Ardyn Lucis Caelum ultimately accepted his role in Bahamut’s Prophecy.

 _‘Am I alive?’_ Ardyn wondered, kneeling in the rubble. _‘Does it matter? Perhaps not...’_ If nothing else, Bahamut had impressed upon him the futility of fighting his fate.

His wrists were throbbing and his chest ached with phantom pain. The scourge writhed furiously, unsettled by abuse it had suffered on the astral plane. Ardyn’s fingers twitched on the cold stone but he tamped down the instinctive urge to cover his heart.

_‘Aera...’_

* * *

Instead, less than a year after the attack on Insomnia, fearing for his newborn son's life, it was young King Regis who faltered.

_ ‘ _ **_Talks of an accord with Adagium?_ ** _ ’ _ Bahamut thundered ‘ **_The gall!’_ **

As Oracle of the Six, Queen Sylva of Tenebrae was tasked with bringing the King of Lucis to heel.

_ ‘As for Adagium…’ _

Humans liked to delude themselves that, on some metaphysical plane, their souls were inviolable. In truth, they were mere wisps of smoke, elusive but ultimately inconsequential.

In a high-end apartment in one of Gralea's most luxurious neighborhoods, opera singer Agda Ariti’s life was snuffed out.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the astral plane, Aera Mirus Fleuret kneeled before the Draconian. In as few words as possible, Bahamut decreed her new destiny. The god’s emotionless voice echoed in her ears. She suddenly felt dizzy. 

_‘What madness was this?’_

Time had no dominion over the beyond... a moment may have passed since she jumped in front of Somnus’ sword or an eternity. What could have happened to her beloved for the Gods to forsake their own Chosen King?

“...Ardyn Lucis Caelum??!” she dared to ask, dismay coloring her voice. “My Lord, were you not the ones to choose Ardyn as—”

* * *

“ **Yours is not to question,** ” Bahamut ordered, his displeasure squeezing her soul like a vice. “ **Listen and obey.** ”

Fists clenched in the folds of her dress, Aera bowed her head and piously accepted her new duty.

Not long after, with two sets of memories fighting for dominance, the former Oracle struggled to open her eyes. Hunger, heat, and pain assaulted her senses and this body only sluggishly answered her commands. She swallowed hysterical laughter.

She was to somehow subdue the Chancellor of Niflheim, her former fiancé, whom Bahamut had once chosen as the King of Light but now proclaimed anathema.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work and chapter titles are quotes from IAMX - I Come With Knives


	2. Act I: “The dream gods brought me to a place where butterflies fluttered through my soul”, Scene 1

After yet another interminable day of rehearsals, Aera collapsed on her couch. Ms. Ariti's body may have been the perfect receptacle for an Oracle's magic but she was still having trouble adjusting to it. 

Nothing was as it should be. Agda’s height, weight, figure, her too-high voice, childish face, or ingrained mannerisms. Sometimes, this puppet body with its foreign memories felt utterly disgusting.

Her eyes stung and Aera pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes, blocking the tears from falling. 

_‘I must be strong’_ , she told herself. _‘Next week’s gala is the opportunity I have been waiting for.’_

* * *

The emperor and his retinue attended each spring gala at the Gralean Grand Opera. This year, the choir had been ordered to sing battle hymns glorifying Emperor Aldercapt’s campaign against the Kingdom of Lucis.

The organizers always allowed Ms. Ariti to perform one song of her own choosing, though she had been strongly encouraged to prepare something exalting Niflheim’s heroic struggle.

To attract Chancellor Izunia’s attention, Aera picked an old solheimen epic, The Fall of Rygarr the Bold. If he was truly her Ardyn, the chancellor should recognize the song as a taunt for being overconfident of one's military might.


	3. Act I: “The dream gods brought me to a place where butterflies fluttered through my soul”, Scene 2

"What a brave young lady!" Ardyn declaimed, gesturing towards the stage. To his right, Emperor Aldercapt's glower deepened.

"Do you understand that gibberish then, Chancellor?" the emperor demanded to know.

"My deepest apologies, Your Radiance. I'm afraid I cannot claim any degree of fluency" he quickly denied, though he made no effort to suppress the mocking lilt of his words. "With what meager knowledge I command, I could only grasp the general idea of the lyrics."

"And what's the general idea then? Wanna enlighten the rest of us?" Commodore Highwind drawled.

The Brigadier General snorted. "He's so full of it."

* * *

Ardyn's smile sharpened.

"Why, it speaks of Rygarr marching triumphant." he said, lies rolling off his tongue. "Would that our armies fought with the same enthusiasm."

His gaze fell on overweight Ulldor, glinting with badly-hidden derision. Ulldor bristled.

"You-"

"Still," he interrupted, "I found it bold to sing of victory before it's achieved. We still have a ways to go. Though I'm certain she sang it with the noblest intentions."

With that, he turned his attention back to the stage, seemingly entranced with the performance. 

Aranea suppressed a shiver - the Chancellor's honest delight resembled a purring coeurl ...with glowing whiskers.


	4. Act I: “The dream gods brought me to a place where butterflies fluttered through my soul”, Scene 3

Ardyn clapped heartily when the performance ended, committing Ms. Ariti's name to memory. 

He had been feeling restless and a puzzle was just the thing to take his mind off the scourge's complaints about the growing daylight.

In short order he knew everything there was to know about Agda Ariti, but the findings only heightened the mystery.

Some vocal talent, passable good looks, and a rare hardworking temperament had helped her become one of the empire's rising opera stars. Yet nothing in her files suggested a passion for ancient cultures, nothing explained her proficiency in a dead language. 

_'How curious…'_

* * *

Sophia Costas, Ms. Ariti's perky understudy, was made the happy winner of a last-minute, all expenses paid grand tour of sunny Accordo and Ardyn stepped into her shoes with a smile - a rather forced smile for playing the part of cheery, clingy Ms. Costas would certainly drain every ounce of his patience.

Hanging from Agda's arm like a sloth, he marveled at the other woman's composure. 

Sophia, a head taller and built like a brick 'house, had had the unfortunate habit of draping herself over her interlocutors, as though deathly afraid her words would go unheard without enough skin contact.

* * *

No illusion would be complete without aping the other person's mannerisms… but he unsettled himself with his performance.

"Agda," he'd whine, cheek pressed against the singer's silky curls. "I'm starving. I need a break… You need a break. Let's take a break!"

And sweet Agda would sigh, pat the arm wrapped around her shoulders and coax her "Twice more the cabaletta, Sophia, and I will treat you to dessert. Please pay attention to the tempo."

He'd slow the final cadenza just to be contrary but then that soft-spoken tyrant would just have him sing it all again, from the top.

* * *

  
  


Between his official duties and the endless rehearsals, Ardyn felt exhausted. Sustaining the illusion of Sophia Costas day after day left him utterly drained.

Why he almost fell asleep during a meeting with Aldercapt's military commanders, giving deadly offense. Sitting at his desk, he laughed, remembering how they'd huffed and sputtered, the poor wretches. 

"That bas- cha- chancellor Izunia!" Ulldor had growled.

"Is… is he sleeping… Hmph! Chancellor!"

Perhaps he should pretend to fall asleep more often, if only for the amusement. 

_'I could consider it my consolation prize,'_ he told himself, _'since I've made scarce progress on my Agda-puzzle.'_

* * *

For all that he'd spent several hours each day for the past three weeks with Agda, the woman still treated her understudy with a cross between polite indulgence and distant kindness that he found gratingly familiar. 

_ 'She'll do that,' _ he'd think and Agda would react in that precise manner.  _ 'She'll pout but listen to me when I say that.' _ And she would. He'd always prided himself on his ability to read people but this was intolerable.

_ 'How?' _ he'd asked himself in vain. So many foreign memories cluttered his mind these days, how was he to know why she felt familiar.


	5. Act II: “The paradox of our minds: too much to believe, too much to deny”, Scene 1

"You can't do this to me!" he whined, just to see her smile.

"Can't I?" she teased him, playing keep-away with the last chocolate praline. "You've been distracted all morning. Slurred syllables, vibratos, missed cues-"

"I'm tired, Agda. Exhausted."

"How on Eos could this little effort exhaust you?!"

"Oh, my sweet," Ardyn sighed, his speech unknowingly slipping. "There's more to my life than music, more to my days than these tedious rehearsals." 

He rubbed his forehead while praying for patience. 

"Why are you stressing so much about the Delva performance?"

Silence greeted his question.

"... I... need it to be perfect."

* * *

He turned to stare.

Reluctance warred with anxiety upon her face. A picture overlaid itself over both, the image of another petite blonde, with a delicate coronet adorning her brow. 

_'Surely you could postpone your trip for a few more hours?'_

_'Have we not performed our devotions properly?'_

_'We have, Ardyn… But the shrine... I need it to be perfect.'_

"Oh, Aera, very well."

"What did you say?!" Agda's voice trembled. 

He quickly recollected himself, missing the fearful look in her eyes.

"I said, 'very well, Agda' but if you're making me repeat myself, I'd wager you're just as tired."

* * *

Much later, seated next to her at the tiny counter of the noodle shop, he remembered to ask.

"So why does it have to be perfect."

Agda startled.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The performance. Spill. Why's it got you tied up in knots?" he questioned while picking at his soggy dish.

"Honestly, Sophia, you're like a dog with a bone."

"So?"

The little blonde sighed, then rested her head on his shoulder. Ardyn's fingers trembled on the cutlery. It felt so different, receiving this casual intimacy instead of being forced to act it out.

"I'm hunting a man."

He choked.

* * *

"What?! No, wait! Who?"

"Secret."

"That's not how it works," he playfully chided "You don't get to leave me hanging!"

"Don't I?"

"No… this is too much. Little Miss Lonesome longing for love." Ardyn teased her, tracing each word in the air as though he were writing a news title.

"What 'miss lonesome' with you sticking to me like a limpet," Agda grumbled.

"Not denying the 'longing for love', then?" 

"Hardly longing..." she muttered, cheeks dyed a fetching pink.

He trailed a finger down her nose. 

"Haha! So easily embarrassed! Come on, Agda, tell me."

"He's… a very important man."

* * *

"Career-wise?"

She nodded. "I… saw him at the spring gala."

"Did you? What an exceptional guy, to seize your heart as you sang!"

"...I'd hoped to at least capture his attention," she admitted, "but my performance must've been lacking."

"Nonsense! You had everyone spellbound, singing in your made-up language."

"Stop saying it's made-up." Agda retorted, exasperated.

"I'll stop when you tell me where you learned it. What's with the secrecy?"

"I learned from books and tutors like everyone else."

"Which books? What tutors?" he insisted.

"...I thought you wanted to know about my man."

" _'Your'_ man?"

An uncompromising nod.

"Mine."

* * *

"So let me get this straight. He's one of the emperor's lackeys-" Ardyn lightly mocked.

"Not a lackey."

"-who may have scrounged an invitation to the Delva's soirée-" he continued undeterred.

"He’s one of the guests of honor!" 

"-and who’s so into ancient stuff that your song should’ve knocked him dead. This soirée you’re going all out and if he’s still not interested, then he’s obviously not Mr. Right."

"When you say it like that it sounds ridiculous," Agda mumbled, pouting into her drink.

"No, no.” Ardyn’s faintly contemptuous smile looked odd on Sophia’s delicate face. “I'm rooting for you!"


	6. Act II: “The paradox of our minds: too much to believe, too much to deny”, Scene 2

Subjects screamed soundlessly in their glass tanks as he passed them by. The Chief Researcher's scourge refinement process had hit a snag and he'd requested Ardyn's presence at the main research center  _ 'with all due haste' _ . 

And Ardyn had naturally complied... with all the haste such summons was actually due... that was, at his leisure. 

He was paying for it now, listening to Besithia's myriad creative ideas, as though human bodies were a gil a dozen. He tapped a rhythm on the glass, watching the scourge-tainted body bob up and down. Perhaps to Besithia they truly were an inexhaustible supply. 

* * *

He sighed as the man droned on. 

When had acting as the de facto ruler of an empire become so mundane? Discussing war strategies with the army commanders bored him, attending peace talks with the neighbors was a chore, and even brainstorming sessions with the scientists had become banal.

Even Agda had managed to annoy him. She'd been obstinately tight-lipped about the song she'd be performing at the soirée. He supposed he could just go and watch it in person… his office always received an invitation to such events and, even without one, no one would dare turn him away.

* * *

_ 'just go watch it in person' _ a mocking echo of the words played on repeat.

On the stage, Agda kneeled before a fake stone plinth, carving runes as she sang about snowmelt and treacherous spring rivers. 

The scourge roiled under his skin and all Ardyn could see was his Aera, kneeling inside an ancient ruin. ...He'd sat beside her. Watching the mountain valley below, he'd sang to her of snowmelt and treacherous spring rivers.

_ 'Isn't this nostalgic, brother dear?' _ Somnus' voice whispered in his ear. But no, Somnus was dead ...and his Aera was dead. 

Only Ardyn was still alive.

* * *

  
  


When the musical performance ended, Ardyn stood up and made straight for  _ his friend _ . 

As fond as he'd grown of the girl, someone had to pay for stirring up such unpleasant memories and as the main culprit, it fell to Agda to soothe him. 

He cheerfully ignored the thought that, on an average day, he wouldn't wish himself on his worst enemies. 

She'd roused his temper, therefore she'd spend the rest of the night catering to his whims and woe to anyone interrupting his petty revenge. 

As far as he was concerned, Agda's 'history lover' could go hang.

"Good evening."

* * *

"Chancellor Izunia!" Agda exclaimed, twisting to look in his direction. A bevy of emotions flashed across her smiling face. Fear, expectation, and hope seemed chief among them, leaving him momentarily nonplussed. 

When the gil dropped, he felt like a simpleton.

_ 'I'm hunting a man.'  _ she'd confessed.

_ 'I'm rooting for you.'  _ he'd fibbed. 

Sheepishness momentarily overrode anger.

"Ms. Ariti," he greeted her before the silence grew awkward. "May I just offer my most sincere appreciation. An absolutely marvelous performance!"

"Thank you, Chancellor, for your kind words," Agda replied somewhat absentmindedly, still gazing at him as though enthralled.

"Please... call me Ardyn."


	7. Act II: “The paradox of our minds: too much to believe, too much to deny”, Scene 3

"Ae- Agda then." she stuttered.

“Agda,” Ardyn repeated slowly, tasting the syllables with his own tongue. "Agda Ariti." His steady cadence felt different from Sophia’s sharp consonants but still somehow unsatisfying. 

“My dear your singing has roused this old heart.” he loudly declared, bringing a gloved hand to his chest in emphasis. His scarves fluttered every which way, their many intricate patterns meant to distract from the faintly patronizing tone.

“I'd long given up hope of finding anyone as appreciative of ancient solheimen music as myself. Pray tell me, was it a happy accident, or have we a shared passion?"

  
  


* * *

"I’ve always found Solheim a fascinating subject. However, my interest in lost cultures was somewhat discouraged. My... duties were made clear to me from a young age.” She smiled ruefully. 

“But with regards to the song…” she stopped, hesitating “It was actually something I’ve only once heard sung and tried to replicate from fading memories." 

Something about that rang false but imperfect knowledge of the musical composition would've indeed left Agda as stressed as she'd been and her files did note a rather rigid upbringing. 

He felt let down.

So much effort for such a trivial solution to his Agda-puzzle.

  
  


* * *

He let the silence stretch, expecting Agda to pick up on his unwillingness to continue the conversation. 

Unfortunately, as with most everything she'd done today, the young woman managed to counter his expectations, seemingly content to gaze at him in silence, though her gaze felt strange somehow, evaluating.

"Something wrong, my dear? I must confess that your steady appraisal leaves me flustered." Ardyn purred, though the way he straightened, preening, quickly gave lie to the assertion.

Her cheeks reddened. 

"Forgive me. I-" and there she stopped, seemingly at a loss on how to continue without leaving herself open to ridicule.

* * *

"Six preserve me" she muttered, hiding her eyes with one dainty hand.

Ardyn's smile fell.

"Oh, let's not bring the gods into it. It spoils the mood." he bit out.

Aera peeked through her fingers, startled by the vicious undertone.  _ Oh, Ardyn. _

Framed by a riot of messy burgundy curls, her fiancé's noble features were twisted in scorn. 

Her breaths quickened. 

No kindness touched those cold, amber eyes.  Her Ardyn, once the very picture of pious reverence, looked vulgarly profane.

Clasping her trembling hands together, she hastily hid them in the folds of her dress and sketched an uncertain smile.

* * *

"You are agnostic?" she tried to jest.

His laugh was short and frigid.

"Far from it, my dear Agda. I've gained more knowledge of the gods than any man might wish. It was precisely  _ that _ which lowered my esteem," he argued, "While on the other hand, it has greatly improved my appreciation of ancient Solheim, of a people who've given birth to many magical and technological marvels... without relying on the gods' double-edged gifts. If you’ve any real interest in Solheim, I encourage you to walk through their fallen bastions and see for yourself what the gods’ jealousy has wrought."

* * *

Ardyn left soon after and considered the mystery of Agda Ariti settled. 

He felt a faint sense of loss, as though he was casting away something precious - but that was just ridiculous. Having the spring melancholy seemed more likely than mourning the loss of a friend. His schedule would clear and some rest and relaxation would lift his spirits in no time.

As for Agda’s affections, Ardyn assumed that his cold demeanor had been enough to cool her regard. So it came as a surprise to see fourteen missed messages on the PHS he’d used while masquerading as Sophia Costas.

* * *

**23:32** i messed up.

**23:32** what do i do, sophia?

**23:34** he’s so different now

**23:34** typo

**23:34** i mean, so different from what i expected

**23:35** he’s so… i can't explain it

**23:48** we talked about solheim

**23:48** and about… nevermind… but he made me feel so conflicted

**23:52** and so naive!

**23:55** you know what, i SHOULD see for myself

**23:59** we’re going on an adventure, sophia

**00:01** don’t worry, i’m paying for everything

**00:01** i just need you along as the voice of reason


	8. Act III: “I never promised you an open heart or charity”, Scene 1

"Can't believe you talked me into this" Ardyn complained, glaring at another shopper who 'stumbled' into his path. Sophia's full figure was a magnet for such accidents and he was close to daemonifying the next person to take advantage of the crush.

Agda on the other hand, dressed down in a t-shirt and jeans, looked like a naughty child whose hands were all over the sellers' merchandise, inspecting everything which might prove useful on their so-called adventure.

He approved of the sharp-tipped walking stick doubling as a spear but the two-person tent gave him pause. Surely they wouldn't be  _ camping _ ?

* * *

  
  


"Agda, I'm not really a nature girl..." Sophia warned, warily eyeing the little tent she'd just bought.

"Don't worry, Sophia, I'm not making you sleep with the creepy-crawlies." Aera laughed, gently patting her friend's arm. Sophia leaned into the touch but still looked unconvinced.

"The demons are becoming more numerous with every passing year. We won't find any mountain resorts where we're going. So, instead, we'll be setting camp at havens where the runes will keep us safe from both demons and any aggressive wildlife."

It almost sounded like Sophia muttered  _ 'we'll see about that' _ but that couldn't be right.

* * *

After a sixteen-hour train-ride from Gralea, they arrived in northern Eusciello without mishap. The Segarossa range towered over the desert, like some gargantuan beast's serrated teeth had risen from the sand to swallow the sky. Soulshatter Keep, their destination, supposedly nestled somewhere between the easternmost peaks.

She'd pored over the maps and old travelogues in the Imperial Library for days, hardly eating and sleeping before Sophia tracked her down and snappishly told her to decide with a coin toss because she'd  _ 'worked too hard to afford a few days off and she won't be wasting them on Agda's pointless dithering' _ .

* * *

Sophia's exaggerations aside, Soulshatter Keep was only one of several dozen solheimen ruins on Niflheim's territory. The odds of finding  _ anything _ to substantiate Ardyn's assertions were slim but still, the trip itself would be a welcome diversion from the conundrum her fiancé presented. Ardyn was unlike the man Aera remembered, yet far from the monster Bahamut painted him as. Some time away from Gralea, time to sort through her emotions would be welcome. 

She smiled at Sophia. 

By Aera's calculations, they still had a two-day hike to the ruins but this was as close as modern technology would take them.

* * *

  
  


The plan had been to reach a haven before nightfall. Aera sighed at her previous optimism.

A couple of falxfang pups had caught their scent around midday. She'd thrown her rucksack at Sophia and urged her to climb to the top of an old ebony tree before finding herself beset by the creatures.

A swipe of her spear had knocked down one of them and, with a twist, she’d jabbed at the other, catching it in the throat. 

_ ‘Duck!’ _ she’d heard and instinctively obeyed. A dagger sunk into the falxfang who’d jumped from her right.  _ ‘Ooo! Lucky hit!’ _ Sophia’d hollered.

* * *

Aera couldn’t celebrate. 

By the time she’d finished off the injured beast, her arms could barely hold the spear and a large gash bled freely down her calf. 

_ ‘That looks nasty!’ _ Sophia had remarked, idly playing with the bloodied dagger. 

_ ‘Could you get me one of the water bottles, please? It’s not as bad as it looks, but I’d still like to clean it.’ _ As soon as Sophia turned around, she urged healing magic to her hands and whispered a short blessing. 

(She didn’t see Ardyn quickly turn around, narrowed eyes scanning for the threat which had unsettled the demons.)

* * *

  
  


The rest of the day continued in the same vein. 

Sophia somehow managed to slide off a dune right into a reapertail nest and then enraged a juvenile dualhorn that chased them southward when they were supposed to be marching northwest.

As the sun began to set, they were still miles away from the nearest haven and Aera knew they’d have to improvise.

“I’m sorry, Sophia.” she apologized while walking towards a stone outcropping. “I know I promised you a haven but we’re going to have to settle here for the night.”

Her friend shrugged, looking suspiciously unbothered.

“It’s fine.”

* * *

  
  


While Sophia was working on starting a fire, Aera took out a hunting knife and began scratching runes into the stone.

“What’re you doing?!”

“Umm…” Aera floundered. “Uh... old hunter trick I picked up?”

“No, seriously, first that made-up language, now this witchy stuff. You’re creeping me out. Stop it!”

“It should protect us against any demons.” she tried to convince Sophia, seeing her friend’s frightened look.

“I  _ dare  _ any demons to get close to our camp!”

Aera laughed. “Bravery’s all well and good-”

“I’ll make a bonfire worthy of the Pyreburner if I have to. Just **_no_** weird etchings!”

* * *

“Fine. I’ll take the first watch.” she sighed, putting the knife back in its sheath.

“Don’t scratch anything while I’m sleeping!”

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Aera asked disbelievingly. “Not the hordes of demons that might gobble us up in our sleep?”

“Yes, Agda, that’s what I’m worried about.” 

Sophia looked deadly serious so, dejectedly, Aera prepared her pack for easy retrieval. Her friend seemed determined to have them spend the night running away from demons.

(Nestled inside the sleeping bag, Ardyn watched Agda with narrowed eyes, certain he’d felt a trace of holy magic.  _ Who  _ or  _ what  _ was she?)


	9. Act III: “I never promised you an open heart or charity”, Scene 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> act iii, scene 2 aka the one where the warlock almost skewers the bard

Worried for their safety, Aera had slept in fits and starts. Come sunrise, she was blinking blearily, exhausted. To offset the dangerous cocktail of anxiety and tiredness, Aera found herself humming in time with her steps. 

At least their luck appeared to have turned, meeting with no more mishaps.

Though Agda's trained voice lent every melody a charming air, Sophia appeared to have woken up in a temper: the more soothing Aera made the old songs, the tenser her friend became. 

Discouraged, she made sure to keep her humming sotto voce after the fifth censoring glare Sophia directed her way.

* * *

  
  


In a stroke of good fortune, halfway up the mountain, they chanced upon an old refuge. Desert storms and aggressive wildlife had left it in a sorry state but surprisingly, to the side of the blackened steel structure, pockmarked and dented sat a small generator.

"Titan's mercy," Agda whispered tiredly, dropping to a crouch to tinker with the thing. Ardyn thought it improbable that the generator would start - likely lacking fuel or functioning parts - but didn't care enough to stop her.

Without another word, he dropped his pack by the door and marched up the stairs to the tiny loft.

* * *

  
  


Agda had tormented him throughout the day with strains of half-remembered songs, until all he could see was his young self, joyfully traipsing through wilds, confident and full of hope. 

Sometimes he was surrounded by former friends, leading a merry procession of wide-eyed youths (and their long-suffering servants and retainers). 

Other times it was just him and Aera (both having snuck past their guards), off on another hare-brained expedition to find some rumored ruins. 

As always, each waking dream devolved into a nightmare.

He needed a reprieve before his demons had him ripping off his ears or Agda's lovely throat.


	10. Act III: “I never promised you an open heart or charity”, Scene 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I was listening to an hour-long medieval fantasy music compilation while writing the last few chapters and a couple of parts always stood out. After a while I found myself wanting to listen to just those two bits, minutes 7 to 10 & 36 to 39, on repeat.   
> The songs, by Derek and Brandon Fiechter, turned out to be called ‘The Chancellor’ & ‘The Old Bridge’.   
> So here’s the next chapter about the Chancellor, inspired by The Chancellor.

The night brought calm, clarity. ...and light.

Agda'd gotten the generator working before falling asleep at the table. He'd moved her to the couch and now sat by her sleeping form, considering. 

Ardyn knew he hadn't been mistaken when he sensed the use of light magic. His eyes traced yesterday's wound, somehow unsurprised to find it healed. 

Seen separately, Agda's knowledge of Solheim, her skill with rune carving, and easy weapon handling would be dismissed as simple quirks. 

Together with her desire to seek him out and a hidden proficiency at magic, they took on a much more sinister cast.

* * *

  
  


Having someone scheming against him was nothing new. 

_ Oh, sometimes it felt like the only consistent thing in his whole cursed existence _ , Ardyn thought to himself. 

But this was different somehow. Agda's abilities were dangerous but her actual schemes were unskilled.

_ Had his glamours weakened? _

His fingers trailed across her brow, sweeping aside the curly fringe. 

She'd shown no sign of sensing the scourge while he masqueraded as Sophia and Ardyn had felt no hostility from her at the soirée, quite the contrary. 

But... 

_ A rare white mage coincidentally falling in love at first sight with the 'the Accursed'? Hah! _

* * *

_ Was Agda working for someone who knew his infamous moniker? _ he wondered. 

_ Then why take his suggestion of digging up the past at face value? Why follow through, even dragging Sophia on an expedition?  _

Agda appeared aware of the rarity of her talents and was hiding them. As her friend and travel companion, Ardyn caught only glimpses and when he questioned her, was greeted with lies.

_ Had his diatribe sparked some sort of religious inner crisis? _

He startled, considering the idea.

He'd never corrupted a person with mere words before. It sounded like an achievement he should be proud of.

* * *

  
  


Outside the refuge, the floodlights denied demons the opportunity of approach. 

Inside, in the dark, Ardyn tucked the comforter tighter around Agda. He watched her in silence for a time, then sighed.

“Why are you chasing me, my dear?” he wondered, carding his fingers gently through her hair. In her sleep, she smiled and Ardyn's gaze softened. 

“Who put you up to it? Your talents would be better served helping the people as the darkness grows. Should I let you die in the ruins? Or should I bring you back to Gralea, to possibly become a thorn in my side?”


	11. Act IV: “Stars kiss and lose each other... grasp my hand quietly and guide me”, Scene 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: First scene of the final act, a whooping seventeen drabbles… Ardyn’s going to be somewhat callous… and cruel, please forgive him, he’s still a bag of demons but he’s trying.

The entrance to the ruins was certainly conspicuous: an engraved white oval stuck inside the red sandstone cliff a good thirty feet from the bottom. 

Their only option was a straight climb, digging into each narrow foothold. Ardyn's hip started burning within minutes. 

Halfway up, he began considering the possibility of stopping time and warping to the door, and the odds of being able to pass it off as a burst of adrenaline. Caught up conjuring various excuses, he eventually found himself at the top. Through the open doorway, he saw Agda laying on the floor with her eyes closed.

* * *

"I'm dead." he groaned, dropping down beside her. Agda turned her head with a quiet moan.

"Next time I decide to have an adventure, stop me."

"I'd stop you now but I can't get up."

"...At least we weren't greeted by demons."

"Why's it always demons with you? I'm sure most demons have better stuff to do than hang around dusty ruins, ready to chomp you to bits."

Agda's laughter echoed around the hallway.

"Most?"

"Oh, I'm sure there's one stupid demon out there who's willing to lay in a long-abandoned hallway, waiting for the right moment to eat you."

* * *

The jest didn’t dispel any of Agda’s anxiety so, just to be contrary, Ardyn decided to exercise his powers, using his link to the scourge to hold the demons in thrall and stop them from physically manifesting.

_ Where are the dreaded demons, little white mage? _ he said to himself, withholding a  mean-spirited grin. _ How strong are your powers? If you can’t see them, can you hear them crawling inside the walls, can you feel them gathering under your steps? _

‘Sophia’ walked ahead bravely, striding across empty walkways, past empty rooms, through equally empty corridors, and down just as empty stairs.

  
  


* * *

It was just as well that he had this self-imposed task to focus on, as the memories rose even more fiercely until he could hardly tell reality from dreams. Too late did he hear the click of a trap under his boot.

Flames burst from the bridge floor the same instant a small body flew towards him, sending them hurtling over the parapet and onto a broken ledge. 

Their hands scrambled for purchase. 

Suddenly, under his fingers, a section of the wall lit up. His eyes widened.  _ A camouflaged runic sequence. _ Quickly focusing his powers, Ardyn stepped outside of time.

* * *

Taking a moment to gather his bearings, he moved closer to the active runes, tracing their shape in the air.  _ 'access' _ ,  _ 'proof' _ ,  _ 'truth' _ they seemed to read. 

_ An ancient form of authentication? _

Mouth twisting in a reckless grin, he pressed his palm to the empty spot inside the triangular formation and stepped back in time. 

Instantly, the grating whirr of long-neglected machinery assaulted his ears. A harsh light covered both Agda and himself.

And then they were elsewhere.

Ardyn tactfully ignored the retching noises coming from Agda’s direction in favor of looking around. The scale of the room was mind-boggling.

* * *

The portal had deposited them in the corner of a gigantic hall that seemed to stretch far into the distance, where a tiny speck glinted with changing colors. 

Setting off at a brisk pace, he aimed for those distant lights, trying to avoid stepping on the exceptionally intricate runic array which spanned the entire floor. 

What awaited him was somehow even more shocking. A console bearing detailed plans about the construction of a weapon, almost, but not quite complete. 

_ The array! _

Fragments of Ifrit’s memories provided the missing clues. 

_ It appeared that Ifrit was right to attack Solheim after all. _

* * *

"What do you think this is, Sophia?"

Agda’s voice brought him back to reality. 

His ruined heart clenched.  _...Something you were never meant to see _ , he wanted to tell her.  _ Because now, I can’t let you leave. _

He considered the mercy of a swift death but discarded the idea. 

Agda deserved to see the monster hiding behind the mask of a friend, deserved a chance to destroy his demons with her holy magic if she chose to do so. 

He would survive it all regardless.

"It's the perfect tool for enacting my revenge," he stated honestly.

Agda whipped around. 

"What?"

* * *

"Sweet Agda, let me tell you a story," Ardyn said, forgoing all pretense of speaking as Sophia. "In a time long ago, the gods blessed a man with the power to heal the blight they'd loosed upon the land. He bore this great responsibility to the best of his ability, saving his people from the scourge by taking the sickness into himself."

He allowed the illusion of Sophia to fade away as he slowly stalked towards Agda. 

"He had resigned himself to sacrificing his life for his people when word from the holy Oracle came: he was the Chosen King!"

* * *

  
  


"The holy crystal, all-powerful artifact of the gods, would surely purify him of the blight, he thought. What a pathetic fool! With his beloved's body cooling in his arms, this wretch tried to touch the crystal and was violently rejected. What all-powerful artifact?! It couldn't cleanse him! It couldn't even kill him! And now, after sucking the life and magic of over a hundred mage-kings it wants to try again?  **What a grand jest** !"

Tears streamed down Agda's face unnoticed.

"I didn't know… I didn't know… I could feel the toll the healings were taking on you!"

He stopped, unbalanced.

* * *

Aera pressed her hands to her chest, praying for Ardyn to believe her - believe  **_Agda_ ** who looked nothing like her!

"Long did I ask for revelation and at last, Bahamut answered," she cried.

Ardyn shook his head in disbelief.

"Who are you?"

"You  _ were _ chosen! But I trusted Somnus-"

Her words cut off when his hands cupped cheeks, heavy and almost hot enough to burn.

"Tell me your name," he demanded, voice quavering as he searched her gaze.

"Aera"

" **The truth** !"

"Aera!"

"What trickery is this?" he asked himself, looking devastated. Her hands gently covered his.

"Bahamut brought me back."

* * *

"Insurance, he said, against you allying with King Regis and working against fate."

"And if I did as he feared, were you to stop me?"

A hesitant nod. Low chuckles ripped themselves from his throat, devoid of any joy.

"The Draconian chose his fail-safe executioner well." he rasped, taking a step backward.

"No! A stumbling block or a trap ...this could well be true," Aera cried "but never that! Bahamut is… Bahamut is  **wrong** ." she stammered, her heart pounding from speaking such blasphemous words. But she couldn't stay silent! 

"You're more than the demons you chain, more than the darkness."

* * *

Ardyn looked pained.

"Aera, is it truly you?"

She nodded… then, remembering the circumstances of her current existence, shrugged. 

"My soul in this puppet body," she admitted, conjuring a tiny light in the cup of her hand. The faint, flickering trails of magic cast odd shadows, as though they lit more than the material world. The demons thrashed and Ardyn forced himself to not take another step back. 

"Apparently this one was best suited to my magic… though I don't know why. I've read that the gods still choose their Oracles from House Fleuret, as I too was once chosen."

* * *

"I've found that the Draconian rarely plays by the rules," Ardyn remarked, daring to touch the light with the tip of his finger "even those rules the gods themselves have set." 

His skin burned, withered, and then, under a veil of miasma, renewed itself. 

Aera, who'd stopped the spell almost instantly, looked horrified.

Ardyn smiled gently - as gently as he still knew how - but that still brought tears to her eyes. His smile turned wry.

"This is who I am now, my dear", he drawled, "dry kindling before the roaring fire."

"I refuse to believe that. You… you were Sophia!"

* * *

She waited until he gave a grudging nod before adding. "My touch didn't harm you, and you were always curled around me like a jormungand!"

"You hadn't used your magic then," he argued.

"I'm not my magic and you are not your demons. I am Aera Mirus Fleuret and you are Ardyn Lucis Caelum, my… …beloved. ...If you'll still have me." she whispered, looking down.

Warm arms encircled her waist. Her head, pillowed against his chest echoed with his heartbeat.

"Two walking dead? Forever joined in darkness?" he teased, bowing to kiss her hair.

She sniffed wetly.

"Still light enough."

* * *

At length, her tears dried but she couldn't force herself to leave Ardyn's embrace. When she looked up, his skin, previously a healthy color, appeared a cadaveric white. 

Black ichor stained his cheeks and his glowing gaze was unfocused, seemingly lost in thought. 

Aera tried not to flinch, humbled that he'd trusted her enough to remove all his glamors.

"Gil for your thoughts?"

"Oh, just making and discarding plans," he said absentmindedly. Placing one last kiss on her brow, he broke the embrace. 

"We should study the array in more detail. Everything else can wait until we return to Gralea."

* * *

  
  
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Aera nodded. “You’ll have to explain it to me… You’ve always been better at reading magitek runes.”

"If I’m reading this correctly, it uses the reactant's own energy to keep it contained. The more powerful the subject, the tighter it's anchored to this… sub-plane? Subdimension? Pocket dimension? No wonder he was mad! Oh, Ifrit, you should've been more thorough in erasing my ancestors!" 

Bending to look at the console screen, Aera frowned. 

"I wonder whether it could be used to trap the scourge," she mused. Ardyn turned to look at her, eyed dark as pitch.

* * *

"Are you certain you aren't trying to kill me, my dear?" he asked in a sardonic tone.

"The joke's in bad taste, Ardyn!" she snapped, "It’s obvious we wouldn't test it on you! Any demon would do!"

"We  _ could  _ undertake a series of trials, but I cannot,  _ will not _ waste this opportunity to settle the score. ...And we could mix business with pleasure too," he offered, lips twisting in dark amusement.

"If you truly wish to capture the scourge, I believe I have something better in mind… someone."

"Someone?"

"Why my partner in crime - and in suffering, the Infernian himself."


	12. Act IV: “Stars kiss and lose each other... grasp my hand quietly and guide me”, Scene 2

After returning to Gralea, Aera consciously stopped herself from prying into Ardyn's affairs. She didn't want to stoke the paranoid impulses he’d shown at Soulshatter Keep… and ...she feared whatever influence Bahamut might have on her. 

Complicated matters of fate and free will aside, in spite of Ardyn’s duties as Imperial Chancellor - and his more personal plans-, their rendezvous were frequent. ‘Sophia’ never again made an appearance, though Ardyn reassured her the real Ms. Costas was undoubtedly having the time of her life on her tour. 

During the long hours spent together, Aera slowly came to terms with Ardyn’s changes.

* * *

Certainly, Ardyn _had_ changed. Not all for the worse, but it often felt as though she was being courted by a very charming stranger. Frustratingly, Ardyn could often predict her reactions but rarely acted the way Aera expected.

Time made one thing clear though: for all his negativity, at each meeting, he was just the slightest bit happier, more at ease. Whether Ardyn accepted her affections while glamourless or lounged in an armchair, mirthfully recounting some incident at court, it was obvious that hope had blossomed in his carefully guarded heart and Aera found it delightful to watch it grow.

* * *

Aera still blushed remembering how, not six months ago, Ardyn had appeared in her bedroom at night, smelling of smoke, with his beloved hat half-burnt. Jubilant, he’d twirled her around the room in her nightgown, sneaking kisses and whispering promises at every dip and turn of the dance.

Now, they were marching through the ruins accompanied by a veritable army of MTs. Aera was left to supervise their ‘assistants’ while Ardyn had gone to fiddle with some controls. The magitek soldiers silently teleported into the massive hall and she directed them to line up at the walls, as previously agreed.

* * *

“This is your moment to shine, my Aera.” Ardyn declared, bringing her to the very center of the colossal array. “Summon Bahamut. He once brought us Revelation, now let us impart our own good news!”

She nodded and knelt on the floor, bowing her head.

 _‘I call upon you, mighty Bladekeeper. By your grace, I was once Oracle and by your hand, I yet linger. Honor that bond, bless me with your presence!’_ her voice rose in an unearthly song, high and ringing, echoing all around them. 

Against the walls, the MTs trembled. Suddenly, a rough hand dragged her backward. 

* * *

  
  


Where she’d kneeled, a giant had manifested.

“ **Insolent mortal!** ” Bahamut thundered. “ **I should crush you where you stand!** ”

“Ah, Draconian,” Ardyn snidely interrupted “But your Oracle was merely following the wishes of your once-Chosen King.”

“ **_Accursed_ ** **. So this is your doing.** ”

“Yes, yes, as ever I live to be a thorn in your side.” Dismissively turning his back on the Astral, Ardyn helped Aera back to her feet. “Only this time, I come bearing not only my own grudge but the grudge of an entire people.” On those final words, his hands, covered in elemental magic, settled on the array. 

* * *

The matrix lit up with Bahamut at its center. Seeing the trap, the Draconian sent weapons of light to pierce the glinting shield. They passed through, weakened, to crash against the stone walls. 

At some sign from Ardyn, the MTs started firing. 

“Come, my dear, lend me your aid,” he whispered and jumped into the fray. Aera watched horrified how the Bladekeeper’s sword reaped the lives of the magitek soldiers and how, in turn, their scourge-powered weapons bit deeply into his armor.

Body and voice trembling, she launched into a battle hymn, praying that she was doing the right thing. 

* * *

Tendrils of holy magic augmented the elemental magitek shield, strengthening the chains binding Bahamut to the mortal plane. The MTs repeatedly lobbed explosives. The Astral’s wrath raged while the runic matrix slowly but surely siphoned his power.

Ardyn gave no pause to his attacks and Aera, filled with grim determination, dared do no less. _We can win this_ , she thought. _We_ **_must_ ** _. First Bahamut ...and then the Scourge._

After a grand explosion, when the light cleared, Bahamut was gone. 

All that was left was a cloudy red sphere - Bahamut’s prison hereafter -, the Draconian bound to obey his summoner’s every command.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many of you guessed that summon materia was the end game? One more chapter to go!


	13. Act IV: “Stars kiss and lose each other... grasp my hand quietly and guide me”, Scene 3

In the spring of ME 738, the great barrier surrounding Insomnia shattered. 

Gossip was that the king had taken gravely ill - while higher placed spies reported that the holy Crystal had somehow vanished from the royal vaults. 

It was the perfect opportunity for a full assault on Lucis. However, before Emperor Aldercapt could give any orders to the effect, disaster struck Niflheim’s armies: the magitek soldiers who formed the bulk of the infantry, suddenly grew ill; even worse, unfinished units were completely rejecting the starscourge.

All previously functional units, now unresponsive and leaking scourge, were shipped to the research facilities. 

* * *

Chief Researcher Besithia was incensed and while he frequently brought his complaints before the emperor, Ardyn could only humbly beg pardon and reiterate that he had no idea why the starscourge was behaving in such an unusual manner.

His veneer of politeness was wearing thin. Absorbing so much of the vile thing had stretched his nerves to the breaking point. Had Aera not been there with her soothing and encouraging presence, Ardyn feared he would’ve long rid himself of the imperial council. After all, change was so much easier to implement when there was no one standing in one’s way.

* * *

With Niflheim's armies crippled and Lucis' defense in tatters, an armistice was grudgingly agreed upon. 

Those ambitious commanders who disobeyed their orders soon found their bases visited by Astral retribution. 

Ardyn gleefully sicced Ifrit on unauthorized Lucian encampments and Bahamut on Niflheim's, until the people of Eos were convinced that the gods themselves were against this war and protests started all over the continent for a more permanent peace.

Soulshatter Keep's array lit up for the final time, siphoning the starscourge into a last, deceptively innocent bauble.

In ME 739, in neutral Tenebrae, Lucis and Niflheim signed the peace treaty.

* * *

After standing witness to this momentous event, Ardyn took Aera to Insomnia to show her the city his brother built. 

They walked hand in hand along the crowded thoroughfares he'd previously laid waste to, strolled through the flowering public gardens and dined at upscale restaurants with a view of Insomnia's grand citadel. 

The Lucian guards shadowing the Imperial Chancellor weren't particularly subtle but, in Ardyn's coat pocket, three spheres provided a comforting weight.

His resentment hadn't lessened but Somnus was two millennia dead while Ardyn and his beautiful wife were somehow, at the end of it all, still alive.

**_Fin_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! ❤️ And special thanks to everyone who wrote a short note or left a review while this was still a work in progress. Your comments made my day. ❤️
> 
> If there's something you liked, something that made you smile, please leave a comment or kudos!


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